In a recent ruling, Carson City District Court Judge James Russell has rejected a 2024 ballot initiative that aimed to establish the right to have an abortion in the Nevada Constitution. The judge sided with the Coalition for Parents and Children PAC, who filed a lawsuit arguing that the initiative violated Nevada law. The PAC's attorney, Jason Guinasso, claimed that the proposed measure included multiple subjects, such as abortion, birth control, prenatal care, and postpartum care, which went against the state law allowing only one subject per petition.

Judge Russell agreed with Guinasso's assessment, stating that this was the clearest case he had seen in terms of violating the single-subject rule. He emphasized that not all the subjects were functionally related to each other. However, attorneys representing Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom PAC disagreed with Guinasso's argument. They stated that all the subjects were indeed a single topic and expressed their intention to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court.

The petition, filed by Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, aimed to amend Article 1 of the Nevada Constitution to ensure that every individual has a fundamental right to reproductive freedom. This would include decision-making regarding pregnancy-related matters such as prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, vasectomy, tubal ligation, abortion, abortion care, management of a miscarriage, and infertility care.

Abortion is currently legal in Nevada up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, thanks to a 1990 ballot referendum. However, the recent overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case has made abortion rights a highly contentious issue in national elections. The potential changes to abortion laws could have an impact on electoral outcomes, though the extent of this influence remains uncertain.

While the ruling has dealt a blow to abortion rights advocates in Nevada, they still have the opportunity to collect over 100,000 signatures by July 8 to force the issue onto the ballot for Election Day 2024, pending a potential appeal to the state Supreme Court. The fight for reproductive rights continues, as other states, such as Ohio, have recently enacted measures to protect abortion access. Constitutional amendments on the topic will also appear on the 2024 ballot in New York and Maryland, with the possibility of similar initiatives in Missouri and Arizona.

The issue of reproductive rights played a significant role in the 2022 midterm elections in Nevada, and it is expected to remain a central issue in future campaigns. Democrats in the state legislature are working to get reproductive rights, including abortion access, on the 2026 ballot. The initiative has already passed the Senate and Assembly and will require approval again in 2025 before being eligible for the 2026 ballot. With Democrats expected to maintain control of both chambers, reproductive rights will likely continue to be a key focus in Nevada politics.